Favorite gouache materials

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Gouache paint

My favorite gouache paint that I’ve reviewed here. You need this primary set to begin gouache, and that’s enough! This paint is highly pigmented, creamy, and has a reasonable price for quality, and you’re sure to get nice blending and coverage.

Holbein gouache review

Brushes

I won’t recommend any, as you can use cheap synthetic brushes and be okay with them. A flat brush, a round brush, and that’s it! You can find more information about my favorite gouache brushes here.

If you want a set of gouache brushes that will last long and are good quality, I’m using this one:

Palette

After testing different palettes for gouache painting, my favorite is this little one, which will keep your paint fresh for a while. It’s not magic, though. If you let your paint inside for months, it will dry. Spray tap water once a week, store it in the fridge, and you’re good to go for a long time! It works well with Plein air painting as well.

Mijello airtight palette

Paper

I prefer Arches watercolor hot pressed, soft grain, 300 gsm for loose paper. It will allow you to get fine details and a smooth painting. In my opinion, the paper is most important than the brush.

For sketchbooks, I have two favorites, depending on my needs:

Stilman & Birn Zeta series: softcover, very soft paper, almost like bristol, white paper, 270 gsm, a strong binding that allow you to paint across two pages, and that stays flat open. I used different sizes, including a square one, in my ‘Fill your gouache sketchbook‘ free workshop.

I like the Strathmore series 400 with hardcover, soft touch, off-white paper, 300 gsm, and large size for more texture.